Improvement in car-springs



W. Pf HAN SELL.

CarfSprings.

Patented March 17,1874.

No.l48,695.

a Z. mW

Vmaintain the bearing-points always in their f Ulvrrnn STATES Arnnr@Prion WALTER P. HANSELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-SPRINGS.

Specification ft rming part of Letfes Patent No. 148,695, dated March17, 1874; applicaticn filed February 24, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WALTER l?. HANsELL, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvement in Springs, of which the following is aspecification:

My invention relates to springs adapted for railway-cars and othervehicles; and my said invention consists, iirst, of a leaf or ellipticalspring, with four or more bearing-points, in pairs, of cross-plates, inwhich two of such bearing-points are employed to sustain the weight ofthe car and very light loads, while the other two cross-points of thesame leaves are of less pitch in curve, and are held in reserve foraction under medium loads,thereby making a double spring of each leaffand iu'- creasing the capacity and strength of each leaf twofold whilediminishing its length, second, in the combination of compoundelliptical springs having four or more bearing-points to eachleaf, andeach pair of bearin gs brought into action separately, with intermediatesmaller elliptical springs, to sustain the weight of the load when thefour bearing-points are brought into action under het vy burden, andpreserve the elasticity of the cross-leaves upon their fourbearing-points, third, in the combination of a compound elliptic orcross-spring with a central holding-rod formed with ns, to prevent theleaves from slipping' round and to proper relation for contact whileallowing free vertical play to the springs; fourth, in providin g thetop and bottom bolster-plates with hollow bosses, in combination withthe central holding-rod for the springs, whereby the said rod is allowedvertical play within the bosses at both ends while being secured thereinby rivet-heads.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents an elevation ot' aspring embracing my invention, and as applied to the bolsters of a car;Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section,and Fig. 4, a view in perspective of one of the compound orcrosselliptical springs.

The top and bottom plates A and B are secured to the bolsters G of thecar in the usual manner, and between these plates the springs arearranged upon a central holding-rod, I).

These springs are composed of separate semielliptical plates,havin geach four or more leaves,

E, which, in the example shown, are at right angles to each other,andconstitute bearingpoints (t, .for action upon each other. Thesebearing-plates E are not of the saine pitch ot' curve, but two, a', ofeach separate leaf, are of less deflection or curve than the other two,c, in order that they may be brought into action under greaterl weight,thereby making each single leaf a double spring in itself, its fourbearings being integral with the single leaf. The curves of these leaveswill be such as to give them broad bearing-points, and they are securedso that such points will be in position for action upon each otherwhenthe spring is compressed. By this construction "the spring ismademuch shorter than the ordinary elliptic spring, while being muchstronger, more durable, and' more elastic under weight. These fourplates also hold the spring more firm, and prevent its displacementunder sudden ooncussions. Interp osed between these springs are smallelliptical springs, F, designed to be brought into action under heavyburdens, and to allow the four bearing-points to preserve much of theirelasticity. The central rod D passes into hollow bosses Gr, Jformed uponthe top and bottom plates A B of the bolsters, and the ends of the rodare rivetheaded, so as to hold it within these bosses and allow it freeend play therein under the compression of the springs. It has iins orprojections II, over which the springs tit to hold them from turning andto keep their acting points (a c always opposite and to match eachother, the openings b in the springs correspondingfto the cross-sectionof said holding-rod.

Any suitable number of these springs may be used, and they may becomposed of two or more thicknesses of leaves riveted together. Two ofthe bearing-points, a, of each leaf, meet and sustain the car and lightloads, and under increase of weight the two others, a', are brought intoaction, and with heavy burden the four points meet upon the smallinterior springs F, and these still give spring to the car.

One of the chief advantages of my improved spring consists inconstructing it of a series of bearing-points from a single short plate,and these points brought successively into action under differentdegrees of Weight, and occupying about halt the space of the ordinaryelliptic spring. These springs are also made separate, and do notrequire to be secured together at the points, thus avoiding much expenseusual in such springs.

I claim- 1. An elliptical 0r bow spring having four or morebearing-points, in pairs, with the two opposite bearing-points, a', ofless pitch or curve than the others, a, substantiallyv as and for thepurpose described.

2. In combination with elliptical or ,bow sprin gs having four or morebearing-points to be brought into action separately, theintemediatesprings F, substantially as and'for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the springs, having four or more bearing-points,matching in pairs, with the central holding-rod D, constructed With nsH, to maintain the saidbearin g-points in proper position for action.

4. The hollow bosses G, in combination with the central holdingrod D, togive free play to said rod at both ends, as described.

WALTER P. HANSELL.

Witnesses XVM. J. LOGAN, BIDDLE R. HANsnLL.

